Honest

India puts back 3G spectrum auction Economic Times l 29 Dec l New Delhi India has deferred a global auction of third-generation wireless spectrum by around two weeks, a leading telecoms industry official said on Monday. TV Ramachandran, director general of the Cellular Operators' Association of India, which represents nine mobile operators, said he had been told the auction would now take place at the end of January, instead of mid-month. "That's what I have been told," Ramachandran said, without elaborating, when asked if there had been a delay. The government had set a date of Jan 16 for the auction to begin. A telecoms ministry spokesman, when contacted, could not comment immediately. Ramachandran said the deadline for auction applications had been extended by 15 days to Jan 20, from Jan 5 set earlier. An official with a leading Indian telecoms firm, who did not want to be named, said he had heard about the delay, and that he expected a government statement by the end of the day. India plans to auction 3G wireless spectrum in 20 of its 22 service areas and has said firms could bid for four 3G slots in most of the regions. The telecoms minister expects the auction to generate revenues of $6.2-$8.3 billion, and an official in his ministry has doused fears the global financial crisis would lead to sharply lower bids.

Unitech units get telco spectrum in 4 circles Economic Times l 29 Dec l Mumbai Indian real estate firm Unitech Ltd said on Monday its telecom subsidiaries had got wireless radio waves in four more service areas, taking the total to 20 where it holds spectrum. Unitech, which has agreed to sell a 60 per cent stake in the telecom business to Norway's Telenor, said in a notice to the stock exchange the allotment had been made for Assam, Rajasthan, North East and Jammu & Kashmir service areas. Indian telecoms market comprises of 22 service areas.

Telecom sector growth rate slips 1.08 pc Press Trust of India l 29 Dec l New Delhi The country's telecom sector which boasted bypassing the recessionary trend to chart growth saw a 1.08 per cent dip in new telephone connections in the month of November, according to official data released here on Monday. Altogether 10.18 million telephone connections (wireline and wireless) were added in November, as compared to 10.29 million connections in October, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement. India has been the fastest growing telecom market which was adding over nine million new subscribers each month. The last time when the sector had witnessed a fall in subscriber base was in April. "This is a marginal dip, it's not alarming ," a TRAI official said adding that addition of 10 million plus subscribers every month is quiet exorbitant and difficult to sustain. The total number of telephone connections reached 374.13 million at the end of November 2008 as compared to 363.95 million in October 2008. With this growth, the overall tele-density has reached 32.34 per cent at the end of November 2008 as against 31.50 per cent in October 2008. The total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA & WLL(F)) base stood at 336.08 million at the end of November 2008.

^^^ My dear Ravi, you didn't mentioned the make of your handset which you are using. You just call the CC of Airtel and they will provide you the manual settings according to your handset. Regards.

Cricket

^^^ Thanks for the info my dear Sachin.

^^^ The Warn Status bar which you can see with your posts can't be viewed by other members. So only you can see your own warn status and you won't be able to see the warn status of other members. Each member can see their own warn status level only. But Moderators can see all members Warning Status percentage. If your warning status shows 0% or nothing then that means you have no warnings.

My dear Santhosh, we don't have any problems if this discussion goes on in a healthy manner. After all, its related to our country. Let people know the facts. Regards. So, what could be the solution to this my dear Mufaddal Sahab ?

Yes my dear friends, Anil and Mukesh both remembered their father by placing advts. in TOI today.

Very correct my dear Abhishek. LG RD6600 is the best handset available at such a cheap price. Although the quality is not that cheap at all. Its value for money my dear friends.

Brass

^^^ Yes this offer is for all the circles my dear Praveen.

Apple Shuts the Door on iPhone iBoobs Despite its recent liberal approach to third-party applications, rejects the cheeky software citing 'objectionable content' Despite its recent liberal approach to third-party applications, Apple's application store (App Store) has rejected the Netherlands-based Mystic Game Development's iBoobs software for its iPhone citing "objectionable content". Mystic makes the EMotion character animation software. The iBoobs program allows people to wobble the virtual breasts, covered by a black bra, by tilting the phone. Apple reportedly told the developer that if they can make "necessary changes so that iBoobs does not violate the iPhone SDK Agreement we encourage you to do so". A very vague statement if there was one, without going into specifics. Considering the enormous demand for cheeky applications, Apple's move seems strange especially when its own iFart Mobile is a hot-seller ahead of games like Tetris and Sim City. iFart delivers realistc fart sounds, which many will find objectionable, yet is very popular with iPhone users. App Store has become a hit with both developers and users in a span of just five months with more than 300 million applications downloaded by users. The iBoobs has its origin in an early DOS application which had similar functionality - the only difference being using mouse to jiggle the breasts. So, Apple's prudish approach seems to be dictated more by fear of walking into the 'Booby trap' of copyright infringement rather than upsetting its iPhone users. Courtesy : Techtree

RCom submits plan to deal with cable cuts to TRAI Business Line l 26 Dec l New Delhi Alternative bandwidth to restore Net services arranged. ____________________________________________________________ Restoration act RCom had capacity on three cables connecting Western countries and another two for East-bound traffic It has restored most of the traffic after a cable cut on FLAG disrupted services ____________________________________________________________ Reliance Communications Ltd has informed the telecom regulator that it has put in place alternative bandwidth to restore Internet services and International long-distance telephony in the event of one or two cable cuts. Responding to TRAI’s letter asking the company to explain the back-up plan to deal with cable cuts, RCom said that it had capacity on three cables connecting Western countries and another two cables for East-bound traffic. The company said that it has restored most of the traffic after a cable cut on FLAG disrupted services last week. “The restoration was possible due to adequate bandwidth arrangements made by RCom on alternative routes following similar cable cuts in early 2008. RCom’s arrangement is most advanced having planned for 100 per cent traffic restoration in case of one or two cable cuts and 80 per cent traffic restoration in case of three-cable cuts. Diversity on four cables is not seen with any carrier around the world.” RCoM said. Explaining the reason for not having enough bandwidth to meet the demand after FLAG cable was cut last week, Reliance said that it had acquired additional capacity through its subsidiary Reliance Globalcom Ltd. “However, the political development in Thailand delayed the entire plan which is now expected to be completed by the end of January 2009. This would provide RCom adequate diversity of cable and routes,” it said. RCom also blamed Bharti Airtel for not responding to its request for new capacity. “RCom has been in constant communication with Bharti Airtel Ltd since December 19 to access capacity on Sea-Me-We 4 through Bharti’s Meet-Me-Room (MMR) in Chennai. Senior level telephonic discussions continue to be held between Bharti and RCom. As of now, Bharti has not yet delivered the access to the capacity. RCom has been in communication with Bharti over 50 times through Phone calls, SMS and emails in last seven days. We request TRAI intervention for immediate access to capacity as per our request,” RCom said in its letter to the regulator. Internet and international data services were disrupted last week after three undersea cables got cut in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the cables – FLAG – is owned by Reliance. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel has told the regulator that it had received a formal request for access facilitation from Reliance on December 22 after the office hours. “We have already initiated the process of provisioning of access facilitation to Reliance Communications and shall be providing the same at the earliest,” Bharti said.

This is really shocking my dear friends.

Reliance CC is crap my dear friends. They will be updated for this offer only after this scheme is ended.

Honey I Shrunk The Kids

All these big operators are SHAMELESS my dear Harshal.

New iPhone Swipe Gestures Coming Soon? We might also see the adoption of multi touch swipes which might use one, two or more fingers for invoking a special task Folks at MacRumours.com seem to have come across a piece of information regarding a new patent application from Apple. Termed as the Apple Swipe Gestures, these gestures for touchscreen keyboards seem to be a very useful addition to the already popular multi-touch navigation that the iPhone has. Here's what Apple suggests regarding the use of these swipe gestures. "Apple suggests the use of swipe gestures to be used on top of the iPhone's on screen keyboard in order to provide the user with quick access to common keys. For example, erasing and basic punctuation insertion, directional swipes (also referred to herein as "swipe gestures") over the alphabetic keys can be used as an alternative to striking certain keys. Because the Space and Backspace keys are quite frequently used, they are logical candidates for the rightward and leftward swipes, respectively. Leftward and rightward swipes intuitively match the cursor travel caused by these symbols. Following this cursor movement analogy, the Enter/Return may be invoked by a downward swipe, and a Shift/Caps may be invoked by an upward swipe. Alternatively, as the Enter and Shift functions may be less frequently invoked, these may be substituted for other functions as well. One alternative mapping for the upward swipe, for example, could be to activate an alternative numeric and punctuation keypad or a particular punctuation symbol like an apostrophe or period." In addition to these, we might also see the adoption of multi touch swipes which might use one, two or more fingers for invoking a special task. For example, a one fingered left swipe can be used to delete a letter, two-fingered left swipe a word, three fingered left swipe a whole line. Interesting? These gestures might as well turn out to be the answer to that improbable question that has been troubling us for ages. How to make multi-touch better? Well, you know how! Courtesy : Techtree

LG shouts out to the ladies with LG-SH490 “make-up” phone No, I did not make any of this up. LG has introduced a brand new phone for the ladies, nicknamed the “make-up” phone, and officially called the LG-SH490. As can be expected of a girly phone, its look is polished and it appears to have a shiny outer case. It’s also adorned with different types of decor. Not to be confused as the “make-out” phone, LG’s “make-up” phone features a 2.4” QVGA main display that’s accompanied by a 1.1-inch external display. It also comes with a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, music and video playing functions plus 512MB of internal memory. There’s no doubt about it: this phone feels feminine all over. It’s available in the following colors: Smoky Red, Deep Blue and Pearl White. No official work yet on the price, but it is expected to be made available through SK Telecom soon. Courtesy : Unwiredview

LG Reavels new Girly Clamshell Mobile LG has recently revealed a new mobile handset designed for the ladies. The handset – the SH490, is a clamshell and is being dubbed the 'make-up' phone, though in my opinion that title should rightfully belong to the Nokia 7610 Supernova. The SH490 has a reflective/shiny outer shell that bears stylish and girly patterns and colors - “Smoky Red,” “Deep Blue” and “Pearl White”. It sports a 2.4-inch QVGA main display and also features an external 1.1-inch screen. It comes with a 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a media player for video and audio, with 512MB of internal memory with external support via microSD cards. There's no word on pricing or availability yet so stay tuned. Courtesy : Tech2

PingerIntegrted IM service Available for iPhone Pinger, a provider of mobile communication services, has announced Pinger Phone, a new mobile application that provides a simple interface for managing and communicating with phone contacts as well as with friends on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. People can see IM presence in their contacts or their social network feeds, and then decide whether to call, text, instant message, mail or even send a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter message, all from one menu. Pinger Phone is a free application and available now on iPhone and iPod Touch devices. "If people under 25 designed mobile phones, they'd put IM and social network messaging alongside dialing, texting and mail," said Greg Woock, Pinger CEO. "With more than 30 billion messages sent on IM and social networks every day, it's about time someone deeply integrated them into the basic mobile phone experience." The key features of Pinger Phone for iPhone include: The Pinger Menu - A single menu that allows users to call, text, IM, mail, or even send a Facebook, MySpace or Twitter message to contacts. The Pinger Menu makes communicating easier because users don't have to navigate back and forth between different applications when communicating with friends. Social Network Feed Consolidation - Facebook, MySpace and Twitter feeds pulled together into a simple clutter-free format. People can then communicate with their contacts with just one simple click. In addition, with one touch, users can view their entire communications history with that person. Faster Instant Messaging with Horizontal Keyboard - Pinger Phone automatically switches to the horizontal keyboard for faster and more accurate instant messaging. Supports AIM, Yahoo! IM, MSN IM and Google Talk. Users in the U.S. can appear online all the time because Pinger Phone can be set to alert users of new IM conversations with a text message. Free Texting to any US Mobile Phone - Pinger Phone users can avoid paying for texts by sending IMs to any mobile number over their iPhone's data connection, which can be received in the form of a text. Pinger Phone users do not pay to send or receive these messages. For the recipient, normal text fees apply. Faster Contacts Integrated with IM - A keyboard is always shown in Contacts so users can start searching right away. IM status is shown next to each contact who is an IM buddy. Every contact has buttons to call, text, IM or mail right under the name. All forms of communication are one touch away. Pinger Phone is a free application and is now available in the Apple iPhone App Store click here for the app. Pinger plans to support additional leading mobile platforms including BlackBerry, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Palm and Symbian in the next year. Courtesy : Tech2

Blame it on Cabinet, 3G auctions likely to miss January date Economic Times l 26 Dec New Delhi The auctions for 3G spectrum, vital for next-generation telecoms services such as video-calling and broadband internet on mobile phones, are set to be delayed beyond its scheduled date of January 16 and may take place in February, according to a top official in the communications ministry. “The auctions have been delayed as the Cabinet is yet to approve some of the key proposals regarding the auctions,” the official, who asked not to be named, said. However, industry executives said the auction may end up being deferred for a longer time. “If the auctions are delayed by more than a month, it may not happen during the UPA rule. This is because, the code of conduct for the general elections will kick in from March 2009,” said a top executive with a telecom company that is looking to participate in the third generation or 3G auctions. This executive, who asked not to be named and his company not be identified, also said he had received information from government officials on the auctions being deferred. According to the official, the primary reason behind the Department of Telecom’s (DoT) move to defer the auctions was the poor response to the 3G pre-bid conference on Tuesday by new firms, including foreign players. While the DoT has allowed foreign operators to participate in the 3G auctions, most international players have indicated that they are likely to give it a miss. Global operators have also pointed out that the auction guidelines have been structured to favour only existing Indian operators and have sought several changes to the country’s 3G policy. Another possible reason could be that foreign players and some Indian companies such as Reliance Communications and Swan have sought additional time to study the information memorandum, which contains all details regarding the auction. This memorandum, which lists out the spectrum slots and its availability in each circle, was released on December 12 and global telcos have pointed out that a 30-day timeframe would not be sufficient to plan for a multi-billion dollar 3G bid. But officials of the ministry of communications maintained that the delay in Cabinet clearance is holding things up. Analysts expect the 3G auction to be a subdued affair due to the global financial crunch. Most analysts said the auctions could fetch the government anywhere between Rs 20,000 crore and Rs 30,000 crore ($4-$6 billion), although communications minister A Raja is confident that the amount could be as much as Rs 40,000 crore. Last week, the Telecom Commission, India's telecom decision-making body, had rejected a proposal to impose an ‘administrative tax’ on successful bidders of 3G wireless frequencies, fearing such a tax could impair revenue collections at the upcoming spectrum auction by over Rs 5,000 crore. The commission, after turning down Trai’s recommendation that successful 3G bidders pay 2% of the highest bid amount annually as administrative charges for using the spectrum, had sought the Cabinet endorsement on its decision. Besides, the Telecom Commission had also sought Cabinet approval for its decision to restrict the upcoming 3G auction to five players per circle. This was because of a legal challenge in the Delhi High Court to DoT's move to limit the number of 3G players to five in a circle. “The Cabinet may take time to clear these proposals — we cannot go ahead with the 3G auctions unless the Cabinet approval comes through,” the communications ministry official added. The DoT may also use this extended period to offer more clarity on the auction process and the policy to foreign telcos. For instance, foreign operators have termed the DoT's recent announcement that new telecom players which win 3G spectrum in the auctions will also be eligible for second generation (2G) radio frequencies, as a mere “gimmick” “The DoT has only said new entrants who succeed in 3G bids will have to wait in queue. They have given no other details. Foreign operators can't plan their business model unless they have further clarity,” said an executive with a multinational telco requesting anonymity. At present, all telecom services in the country are offered on 2G radio frequencies. An Indian representative of another global telco said the current policy did not specify how new entrants would be allotted additional spectrum in future. The executive added that as successful overseas 3G bidders would get a mere 5 MHz, they would not be able to compete with existing operators such as Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular, which already had up to 10 MHz of 2G spectrum and are likely to get another 5 MHz of 3G spectrum in the auctions.

^^^ We too miss you and all your valuable posts on the forum my dear Akshat. Hope your PC would start working again soon. Till then we will miss you a lot on the forum. Come back soon !

Don't know why Reliance is delaying the launch if everything is ready with them. Some says its 28 Dec and some says its 1st week of January. God knows what is going to happen.